He stood beneath the spread of the tree at the far end of the park.
It was the second Saturday in May. Here it was again, the day they parted. The day they vowed to meet here a year later on this very spot, on her return from her work overseas. They were so much in love, it was a solemn pact. It had been a long year. For him, it was a year of planning and saving, of making plans for their future. A year spent preparing for her return and the life they would have together. He stood, knowing that this year would be different. It would be a special year. This would be the tenth and final anniversary. No more waiting. No more coming here to pay homage. No more mourning over an elusive dream of how things could have been.
After all, he had met someone else. They were married with two small children and his life was good. He wanted for nothing more than his new life had given him. He was perfectly happy. So, why did he keep this pointless vigil year after year? At one time, when the bitterness first set in, he imagined it was to confront her with her cruelty. It would be his one and only precious opportunity to load her with her self-made guilt. But, even this thought of vengeance lost its appeal over time.
No. He knew what had to change. This would stop, along with the deception of making it here, alone, each year. The painful, yet ridiculous deceit of withholding all knowledge of his activities from the woman he now shares a contented life with would have to stop. He could no longer tolerate the duplicity of it. Now, it seemed quite clear to him. He knew what would lay ahead. The stupidity of it all ended here. No, his mind was made up.
This year would probably be the last.